David Gowland has long been one of the most considered authors on the UKEU relationship and this work offers the first real analyses of how the 2016 referendum fits into the bigger picture of that history. The book is very readable and engaging, for scholars, students and a wider audience. At a time when the UKs European relationship is more in flux than ever before, this book provides some much-needed insight.
Simon Usherwood, University of Surrey, UK
Britain and the European Union is clearly written, well informed, and accessible. It is a timely contribution for scholars and students alike.
Gary Marks, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
David Gowlands account offers a very clear and comprehensive examination of the troubled historical relationship between Britain and European integration that culminated in the June 2016 Brexit vote.
Simon Bulmer, University of Sheffield, UK
Britain and the European Union illuminates the riveting history of Britains accession to the then European Economic Community in 1973 up through its electorates recent decision to abnegate the countrys European Union membership. Uniquely comprehensive in its coverage of this important and still evolving story, the book will not fail to educate both the neophyte and expert student of contemporary British and European political history.
Anthony M. Messina, Trinity College, USA
Britain and the European Union
This engaging and concise text offers the student and the general reader a compact, readable treatment of British membership of the European Union from 1973 to the present day. It provides a highly distilled and accessible analysis and overview of some of the parameters and recurring features of Britains membership of the European Union, touching on all of the major facets of membership.
Key features:
examines the constant and changing character of British membership of the European Union (EU);
discusses the problematical and often paradoxical features of membership;
familiarizes the reader with both academic and public debates about the subject;
offers thematic treatment of all aspects of policy and attitudes towards the EU;
provides an overview of the main landmarks in the history of the EU since 1973;
presents the most comprehensive and up-to-date text on the course and result of the EU referendum campaign.
This book will be of key interest to scholars, students and the generally interested reader in the areas of European Studies, British Politics, EU Studies, Area Studies and International Relations.
David Gowland was Director of the School of Contemporary European Studies and also Head of the History Department at the University of Dundee. He is the author of numerous successful books and articles including Longmans The European Mosaic series and Britain and European Integration since 1945 (Routledge).
Britain and the European Union
David Gowland
First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
2017 David Gowland
The right of David Gowland to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
Names: Gowland, David.
Title: Britain and the European Union / David Gowland.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2017. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016017217| ISBN 9781138825093 (hardback) | ISBN 9781138825109 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781315463537 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: European UnionGreat Britain.
Classification: LCC HC240.25.G7 G683 2017 | DDC 341.242/20941dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016017217
ISBN: 978-1-138-82509-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-138-82510-9 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-46353-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Out of House Publishing
For Flynn, Effie, Diane and Dudley
and in memory of Isabelle
This book provides thematic treatment of Britains relationship with the process of European integration associated with the European Union (EU) over the past 70 years. This study covers the period down to the referendum of June 2016 on British membership of the EU. It should be emphasized, however, that the bulk of the book was written prior to the referendum campaign and result that feature in the concluding section.
The book deals with key features of the subject in a distilled manner with an introductory overview of some of the complexities surrounding the topic. The book also considers the most recent, problematical aspects of Britains fraught relationship with the EU and in particular with the Eurozone, while recognizing that judgements about contemporary developments are hazardous and are like trying to hit a moving target.
Throughout the text, I have used the expressions Britain and British rather than United Kingdom, but only as a matter of convenience and not in all cases. The title United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, of course, the accurate description of the multinational state currently comprising England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The expression United Kingdom acquired widespread use as Britain and Britishness became increasingly contested expressions during and after the 1970s, especially in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
I should like to express my deep gratitude to the editorial team at Routledge, most especially Craig Fowlie (Global Editorial Director) and Andrew Taylor (Senior Editor). Their encouragement and assistance have proved invaluable throughout the writing period. I am particularly grateful for their willingness to give me more time than originally scheduled to prepare the text. Special thanks are also due to two of my former colleagues, Dr Arthur Turner and Dr Alex Wright, for sharing their views about the subject in the course of many discussions.
I should also like to thank my wife, Helen. She has patiently tolerated my long absences in the study and my occasional preoccupied appearance, while rightly reminding me that there are more important things in life than writing books.
| AfD | Alternative fr Deutschland |
| ALDE | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| BDOHP | British Diplomatic Oral History Programme |
